Obviously, most of you probably have no idea what this "geckoing" shenanigans is all about, so let me (briefly) relate the history of this little ritual:

Many years ago, my good friend and Theatre Babylon founder D.J. Hamilton ran a little theatre space, The Eastlake Studio, to the north of downtown Seattle. The space had formerly been a pet store specializing in exotic reptiles, and evidentally over the course of time, some of the inventory escaped to roam loose through the shop. When D.J. took over the space, he began noticing a number of these little lizards appearing in various and sundry locations. Sadly, after a few months, the visits from the little geckos became progressively fewer and fewer, to be replaced with little mummified gecko corpses underneath the furniture or in dusty corners. Geckos, being adapted to more tropical climes than is the norm for Seattle, couldn't handle the colder weather, and so eventually they died off.

D.J. however, took their presence as a sign (of what sort, you'd have to ask him), and so adopted the gecko as his combination mascot/totem to represent his theatre. When he moved into the Union Garage space about 10 years ago, the gecko symbol moved along with everything else.

And so a tradition was born. At the end of the run of every Theatre Babylon production, "virgins" -- that is, people who have not previously been involved in a show there -- are inducted into the "Order Of The Happy Gecko" by means of a secret ritual, the details of which we are all naturally sworn to secrecy. However, if you look closely at the pictures, you can probably get at least some semblance of an idea of what sorts of rigors demanded of initiates. Lauren in particular seemed to have more than the customary difficulty with the rite, but I am happy to report, nevertheless managed to pass the test.

So, to Lauren & Jeff, welcome to the Order, may your paths always and forever be guided by the wisdom and perseverence of our little lizard guides!